Captured Hearts: The Substitute Bride's Gambit - Chapter 5 You Are Born to Be a Maid

During an interview with prominent Tang Dynasty ministers: You have known Li Yuanying for a long time. What do you think about his character?Wei Zheng: Shameless!Fang Xuanling: Shameless!Sun Simiao: Shameless!His Majesty Li Er: My most shameless brother.Li Yuanying: Continue talking guys! I’m leaving first.This is a light-hearted novel documenting the adventures (or more accurately ruckus) of Li Yuanying, youngest brother of Emperor Taizhong of Tang Dynasty.

“I know exactly who you are,” he murmured, his voice a low growl as he pressed me against the cold stone wall. His body caged mine, heat radiating from him like a wildfire waiting to consume.I lifted my chin, ignoring the way my pulse betrayed me. “Then you know why I’m here.”His lips brushed dangerously close to my ear, not touching—just enough to make my breath hitch. “Do you?” His fingers traced a slow, deliberate path down my arm, stopping just before my bound wrists. “Because you don’t look like a hunter right now.”I swallowed hard. “And you don’t look like a monster.”He chuckled, dark and amused. “Oh, little hunter, you have no idea”. In a world where humans and werewolves are sworn enemies, fate weaves a different tale.Violet, the daughter of James—descended from a long line of legendary werewolf hunters—has spent her life preparing for one mission: to kill Alpha Zain, the feared Demon Alpha. To prove herself worthy, she must bring his head as a trophy. But when she finally faces him, destiny shatters everything she’s ever known.While her sisters, April and Jade, eagerly await news of her death, Violet finds herself entangled in a fate far more dangerous than she imagined. Because the greatest threat isn’t the battle between hunters and werewolves—it’s the bond that should have never existed.

“Evil God of the Universe, You are in every space and time. Present in every dimension of reality and govern the darkness of our world.Oh, almighty Atticus! Hear our plea and grant us your presence tonight, awaken my Lord!”The rain had completely stopped and the strong gale had subsided into the fading raindrops. The night had turned eerily silent and only the sizzling and cackling of the fire entered their ears.Suddenly, they all felt like floating from their feet despite setting foot on the watery, hard ground, as if they were traversing into space. The darkness of the night gradually turned darker, enveloping them, morphing into everyone, like a void eating them slowly. Sequentially, their breathing turned oddly slower. Despite exaggeratedly inhaling air to breathe, it was to no avail, as if a higher entity was limiting them from breathing.Nolan felt his throat and tried to open his mouth to gasp more air but failed. Everyone but him was in a state of indignation and panic as they struggled to breathe to fill their lungs with air. Nolan tried to calm his heart. He closed his eyes and stopped inhaling air in pure panic, instead, he put his heartbeat and breathing into a rhythm. It was hard at first, but after a minute, he found his breathing gradually went stable.His whole being was in pure anticipation of what was going to happen next.After a couple more minutes, the storm completely subsided, the night turned to normal. Nolan remained standing, taking in his surroundings with his eyes closed. Everything turned silent. The eerie atmosphere and the crackling of the fire from the hay figure didn’t even enter his ears. Nolan waited for a couple more minutes, his breathing turning normal. He was reluctant to open his eyes, afraid he might ruin their ritual.“It’s alright now, Young Master. You can open your eyes now.”Nolan’s breathing hitched. He jolted on his feet as he fluttered his eyes open.“Atticus? W-why are you here?”The butler, standing in front of him, a raincoat hung on his arm, smiled. “I am everywhere, Young Master, in order to best serve you.”****Atticus, a demi-god from the underworld, was cast out of his parents' realm and banished to the human world. The reason? He had yet to give them any grandchildren.Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction and is purely the product of my imagination. Any resemblance to real people, events, or beliefs is entirely coincidental. The intention is not to disrespect or diminish any faith or tradition, but rather to explore ideas within a fictional context. Reader discretion is advised.

“For a long time, we humans have been like the chosen race, without any natural enemies, and have long been at the top of the food chain. Unfortunately, I have to tell you...” “When there is only one bird in a forest, then the forest is basically fake, and the bird was put there by someone...” “No matter how a fish swims, it can never meet any of its kind, which only means that the fish is kept in a fish tank...” “Yes, we are the birds in the forest and the fish in the tank.” “Yes, the world we live in is virtual!”